


Interpretation

by themus



Series: Fault [1]
Category: The OC
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Blood and Violence, Child Abuse, Explicit Language, Gen, Heavy Angst, Pre-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-08-31
Updated: 2007-08-31
Packaged: 2019-02-23 01:43:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13179717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/themus/pseuds/themus
Summary: How the world speaks.





	Interpretation

 

Beneath the screaming and the yelling and fists pounding on flesh Ryan's thoughts are a runaway train of, 'Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you fuck.' He'd say it too if his mouth wasn't full of teeth and blood and bile and if AJ would just stop fucking hitting him long enough for him to breathe.

His vision has turned misty grey and when he chokes out air it comes with a whine like a fucking kettle – high-pitched and belligerent – spraying a dew of scarlet red on the carpet.

This is the third time this month AJ's had him flat on the floor, pouring blood out like a doughnut leaking jelly. He wants to smear it across the ragged fibres, fingerpaint the words, 'Fuck you,' in dark crimson and wine. That's what it says as it flows through his veins. That's what it shouts when it drips to the floor, splashes across mould-tinged walls, is swallowed down. 

AJ spits on him before he walks away, clomping in blood-tipped boots, and the smeared translucency says, 'You're worthless.'

Ryan wipes it off, gets up, tries to ignore his mother's sobbing, clenching her bottle like a fucking life jacket. Inside the liquid dances golden under the lights, singing, 'I'm more important than you.'

It says that so often Ryan has stopped doubting. His mother's eyes, they say it as they look at him, glance away. Filled with tears, or is that a trick of the lights? No, they're empty, hard. 'He's more important than you,' that's what her body says when she tells him to go to his room. When she says she's sorry, her face speaks for her. 'Everything's more important than you.'

And every nuance of his posture is screaming, 'You treat me like I’m expendable.'

And the twist of her lips says, 'You are.'


End file.
